Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit is Utterly Mental

It’s tough being in the public eye. Your every move is scrutinised and judged by the world at large, waiting for you to slip up. If it’s bad for most people though, it’s even worse for royalty. Look at Prince Harry; some youthful shenanigans happened in Vegas, resolutely followed him home, and proceeded to cause him much embarrassment that he impressively took on the chin.

But not all princes take such public shamings so well. Step forward Prince Ash, the peeved princeling that you play in Arkedo Studio’s upcoming platformer Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit. Shortly after ascending to the throne, Prince Ash finds himself in the middle of a massive scandal after pictures of him getting…intimate with his rubber ducky during bathtime found their way out into the world. But instead of doing a Prince Harry and embarking upon a publicity tour to counter the pictures’ impact, he decides to pursue a far more rational course of action: kill all of his monster subjects that have set eyes on the offending images.

Such is the sheer lunacy that awaits you in Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit. From the tongue-in-cheek “Not-So-Useful Advice” displayed during loading screens to the “please wash your hands, kids” message that flashes up whenever you pause the action, this isn’t a game that takes itself remotely seriously.

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This isn’t a game that takes itself remotely seriously.

Like everything in the game, the juvenile storyline and imaginatively-designed monsters are underscored by bizarre humour. The dialogue between Ash and the various monsters he encounters is where it really shines, but it’s also obvious even in simple little things like the game’s HUD, which flashes up “F**k! Blood!” whenever your health drops below a certain threshold.

But if a wicked sense of humour is the mortar that’s holding the title together, that’s not to say that Arkedo Studios has neglected the importance of the bricks. What awaits you in Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit is not just a funny platformer, but a solidly built one as well.

The game starts out simply enough, but the difficulty quickly ratchets up as Ash gets bigger and better weapons to subdue his monster tormentors, which range from a circular drill to a missile launcher. It’s surprisingly tough in parts; without wanting to get all Dark Souls on you, you will die. Regularly. Thankfully, the punishments for doing so are fairly light and the constant humour throughout the game makes it easy enough to keep hunting the monsters that are making your life a misery.

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Pressing a key at the exact right time triggers what is, essentially, a Mortal Kombat-style fatality.

The monsters themselves range from the juvenile (there’s one that looks like a turd) to the intriguing (an electrified brain with mechanical arms), but most require some lateral thinking in terms of how to take them out. Once you’ve done so, you’re tasked with either button-mashing or pressing a key at the exact right time to trigger what is, essentially, a Mortal Kombat-style fatality such as squeezing a monster that looks like a giant spot till it bursts. Or maybe Ash will morph into a series of psychedelic flashing aliens in a Space Invaders tribute and slowly consume his foe, or just rev up his drill blade and turn the enemy into T-Bones.

All of these look oddly charming thanks to the game’s cartoony aesthetic, which thankfully manages to be diverse while maintaining consistency. No two of the game’s levels look the same; you start in a lava-filled hell hole before progressing onto a more industrial looking level, and this works well considering you’ll be spending a fair amount of time late in your playthrough backtracking and using new items to access previously cordoned off areas.

There are also a wealth of gameplay features to supplement the standard platforming play experience. Alongside leaderboards and a shop selling customisable outfits for in-game currency, you can scour levels to find hidden presents which contain a stylish array of hats for Ash to wear. My personal favourite feature though was The Island; a hub away from the main adventure where you can put all the monsters you’ve “reprimanded” to work in order to gain more life, money, items or surprises in the main adventure. There are elements of sim-micromanagement on offer here too, as any monsters that go on strike will need to be dealt with Thatcher-style if you’re to continue unlocking benefits.

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit is utterly mental but, underneath it all, there’s a solid platformer starting to shape up. Due out September 26 in the US and October 3 in the EU, the sick sense of humour should appeal to all but the most sensible of gamers. And as the game will appear on XBLA, PSN and Steam, it’s a title set in Hell that won’t cost you the Earth.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.